The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is the professional video games organization that works towards advancing the artistic values of the interactive entertainment community. We're excited to learn that they've recently appointed Frank Pearce, co-founder and executive vice president of product development at Blizzard Entertainment to their Board of Directors.

The AIAS Board is the governing body of the 22,000+ member Academy and has members from 15 industry leaders who represent Sony, EA, Nintendo, Microsoft, Google, Capcom, Blizzard Entertainment and more. They also host the Interactive Achievement Awards every year and also hold the DICE Summit which brings the top video game designers together to discuss the state of the industry. We covered DICE 2011 extensively last year and intend to be there again for the show in February 2012.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Frank Pearce to the Academy Board,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “Blizzard Entertainment’s games, their community and their management team epitomize success in the game business and we look forward to having Frank’s valuable perspective on the Board.”

“I’ve always appreciated the Academy’s commitment to advancing the gaming medium and fostering creativity within our industry,” said Frank Pearce. “I’m honored to be chosen for this role on the Board, and I look forward to drawing on my experiences at Blizzard to help support and contribute to the AIAS’ ongoing mission.”